Opponents of a proposed, publicly backed hotel at the Oregon Convention Center say they’ve gathered enough signatures to refer the subsidy to voters, but a judge has yet to rule on whether the referendum is valid.

The hotel project opponents, a group mostly made up of competing hoteliers, want voters to weigh in on the proposed funding mechanism, which would use taxes on hotel stays to pay off revenue bonds backing the project.

But the Multnomah County elections division rejected the petition, saying that a county board vote to direct the taxes toward the project was an administrative act rather than a legislative one, and therefore couldn't be referred to voters.

A hearing on the matter is scheduled this Thursday in Multnomah County Circuit Court. The petitioners were granted permission to gather the 11,000 signatures required to put the issue on the ballot while a lawsuit is pending.

But other hoteliers fear the hotel could sap business without bringing the promised new conventions. And if the convention center hotel’s projections fall short, lodging taxes collected at competing hotels would go to pay off the bonds.

The proposed $197.5 million hotel, a Hyatt Regency, would be built by a team led by Mortenson Construction of Minneapolis. Construction would be subsidized with $60 million in Metro revenue bonds to be paid off with lodging taxes collected at the hotel. It would also receive $18 million in loans and grants from Metro, Portland Development Commission and state lottery funds.

Although they’ve met the minimum number of signatures required, the hotel opponents said they intend to continue gathering signatures over the next few weeks.